The choice - 4-bed semi or 3-bed detached

wherediditallgo

A friend has had her portion of an inheritance come through, & is looking to buy her first home. She's seen some houses she likes, & the only major difference between them is that the bigger ones are semis & the smaller ones are detached. She doesn't need the 4th bedroom (she's single, so she'd planned on having a bedroom for herself, a study & a guest room) though she'd probably find a use for it , but can't make up her mind on whether the larger semi or a smaller but detached house is better. If it was me, I know I'd go for the detached house, because I've had noisy neighbours in the past & having the gap between the properties would be a blessing, but she can't make up her mind. Which would you go for?

m00m00

I'd look at actual properties before deciding for certain what type. I've seen some absolutely gorgeous semis while I've been looking, and some pretty poor detached. I'd take in factors like the gardens, parking, general area etc.

I certainly wouldn't limit my choices before I actually started looking

olly300

I would go for the one with the largest garden cos I like gardening.

Seriously go for the one in the better location near the better schools and other amenities. Even though she is single at some point in the future she is going to want to sell the house.

seven-day-weekend

All other things being equal, I would go for the bigger (overall, not necessarily more rooms) house.

If thery were not equal, I would go for the one in the better area.

patchwork_cat

I second the look at the properties, but if all other things were equal I would go for the detached. To not have to listen to neighbours is bliss! It is bad enough that even then gardens still adjoin, so if one decides to put up a wendy house at midnight - yes they did! you can still hear it or the other decides a sunny sunday afternoon is time to play big band at full volume - again, yes.

My next choice will be detached with either no neighbours or in 1/2 acre!

Kez100

We have a three bedroom detached but it's massive (including the bedrooms)and cannot even start to be compared with a modern four bedroom which are probably a third of the size. Our detached really is detached too, whereas modern properties have what I call Posh alleyways (i/e alleyways only Posh Beckham get walk through) Don't decide until you have viewed what is on the market in the price range.

I also agree look for amenities and good schools close by.

Mrs_Thrify

My vote is for the one with off road parking, garage- so no defrosting in winter. downstairs cloakroom and an en-suite. Oh and smallish garden for less weeding - would prefer patio or decking. Not much to ask :eek:

A detatched has a lot more benifits too.

Def. no shared drive. Theese can lead to trouble...


Good luck to your friend...

epz_2

all things being equal i would go with the one which has the most space, its about the only thing you cant add to a house.

Jonbvn

Interesting related thread here.

wherediditallgo

Thanks, guys. I told her that my decision would be based on what I'd want to be living in if I was stuck at home sick for a month (I've been at home sick for months already, so it's something I'd definitely want to take into account). I'd want to be near to shops, but not near to business units where they do a lot of car maintenance. She in particular wouldn't want to be so close to schools (she doesn't have children) that she can hear playground noise, as she works from home a lot & wouldn't want to be disturbed by noise or have to deal with the issue of the road being full twice a day with parents parking. She would need to be near transport links for when her car's off the road, as she sometimes has to go to clients' offices or homes. She's not fussed about a garden, as long as there's enough room for a barbecue, room to grow a few veggies, a shed & somewhere to hang her washing or sit out in the sun in summer. She'd also want a garage.

She's down to 3 or 4 properties she particularly likes, & they're all pretty much the same in terms of local amenities & space inside & outside. In one of the 4-bedrooms, the 4th room is a box room, with one of the bedrooms being smaller than the 3rd room in the 3-bedroom to make up for it, so it's really just the semi vs detached issue that's concerning her now.